A look at Cloverfield - Did it live up to the hype?
Posted By Mike on May 4th, 2008
Sorted in Movies
One movie that certainly received a lot of hype this year was Cloverfield. It began with a cryptic movie poster featuring a headless Statue of Liberty and a smoldering New York City. The only text on the poster was a date, 01/18/08. Using just those visuals as clues it was obvious that something happens in New York City on January 18th, 2008, but what?
Eventually as the release date of the film crept closer, I remember reading speculation that Cloverfield was a monster flick. The first thing I thought to myself was, “hasn’t that been done enough already?” However, considering all of the hype, I still felt like I should give Cloverfield a chance. Finally I’ve seen the movie, and I’m really glad I did. For me it definitely lived up to the hype.
It would seem I’m not the only person who enjoyed it, judging by the huge amount of positive reviews on sites like IMDB.com. However you will find negative reviews as well, and they all seem to point to one specific thing - the camera work. Cloverfield was filmed entirely with hand-held cameras because the entire film is shot from the perspective of one character documenting one entire night as it unfolds.
Since there’s quite a lot of sequences where characters are running from one place to another, you end up with a pretty shaky picture. Personally this didn’t bother me. I thought it only helped make the movie feel more realistic and genuine. A lot of folks however apparently suffered motion sickness. I’m glad I didn’t. I would have missed an excellent film.
I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say that the special effects in Cloverfield were fantastic. When I finally got a look at the monster I was blown away, not only by how massive the thing was, but also by how realistic it looked.
One other element which really stood out to me was the force of soldiers firing everything they have at the beast, trying to take it down. I learned later that the soldiers were all former military personnel. A very nice touch, and just another way in which the producers and director went the extra mile to make the entire film feel as authentic as possible.
If you haven’t seen Cloverfield yet, I highly recommend checking it out. Without a doubt it’s been one of my favorite films of the past year. After you’ve seen it, you can also check out Cloverfieldfiles.com to see some great behind the scenes footage that wasn’t included on the DVD.
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Hey, Mike! I saw Cloverfield, and I enjoyed it, too. Like you, the shaky camera didn’t bother me. I thought it added character to the shots.
My roommate and I are huge monster fans. Therefore, we were really excited to finally see the beast. While I wasn’t too fond of the little monsters, the big one was pretty gruesome. I liked its limbs. They floundered about in interesting ways. Whoever (or whatever team) created that monster really did a great job.
Also, I just wanted to tell you that this was a great movie review. You made it interesting, without giving too much away. That’s talent, my friend, and it’s all yours!
Erina Hart’s last blog post..The Ants Go Marching?
Hi Erina! Good to see ya again
I didn’t like the smaller monsters quite as much either. I think mainly because of that creepy sound they made..lol. The big one was definitely really impressive though. I thought it was cool how it was hardly ever the focus of scenes, but just there in the background enough to be seen causing all kinds of mayhem.
I liked the film so much, I’ve already watched it four times
Cloverfield was AWESOME. I esp like how they really didn’t “end” it per se. So hopefully when it comes to sequel time, we can all just jump back into it!
Bush Mackel’s last blog post..Samba De Amigo Coming to the Wii
Hey, buddy! I agree the ending was sort of a cliffhanger, though I think you’re left with a pretty good idea of what happens
I haven’t gotten a chance to see Cloverfield yet, but I want to. I don’t think the shaky camera will bother me either… I loved 28 Weeks Later (and 28 Days Later, of course!), and that is one with a shaky camera that many people complained about. I think it makes you feel more involved in what is happening to the characters. I think I’ll go put Cloverfield on my Netflix queue.
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I like Bush’s idea of the sequel just beginning where the first left off. Or I like the idea of a time line that isn’t in chronological order (think Pulp Fiction). If that happened, we may be able to follow another person’s journey. After all, something could have happened with those missiles that kept the monster from being destroyed. We can hope
Erina Hart’s last blog post..The Ants Go Marching?
All I know is that Cloverfield was one of the most original and creative movies I’ve seen in a long time and was a real treat to see in the theaters.
Bush Mackel’s last blog post..Driving Around in My Automobile
I have to admit I was disappointed with this movie. But it was good. I just woulda liked to see more then what they showed.
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